The Story Behind Hanukkah
By Jennifer Bushman, our Head of Strategic Development
Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights
In my early childhood, Hanukkah was always celebrated at my paternal grandparent’s home in southern California.
As the Jewish winter Festival of Lights, it brings light to the darkness of the cold season with warm flames. Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE and the rededication of the Jewish Temple to God—a dedication that was crowned by the lighting of the Temple’s menorah.
I’ve always found Hanukkah rituals both deep and meaningful, as they set the tone for all of the holiday celebrations that would follow in my life. So many memories are entwined with this special time: brisket roasting in the oven with carrots, potatoes that were glazed to the point of tasting like candy, and the smell of hot oil in the air as my grandmother made her potato latkes just before everyone arrived. Together, it created a house that was full of joy, laughter, lifelong friendship, and love.
Our Hanukkah main ritual was the lighting of a menorah, a candelabra with nine candleholders, lit during the eight nights of the holiday. The menorah was a seven-branched candelabra that brought light to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Only ritually-pure olive oil—olive oil that took more than a week to prepare—was used to light it. As legend has it, after the Maccabees drove the Greeks and their idols from the Temple, they cleaned and rededicated the space and managed to find but one cruse of this special oil, an amount that would traditionally have lit the menorah for just one day. But, miraculously, this one small jar of oil burned for eight whole days, allowing the menorah to remain alight until new oil could be prepared.
On the first night, two candles are lit: the shamash, “servant,” which is used to light the other candle. On the second night, three candles are lit: the shamash and two others. On the next night four candles are lit: the shamash and three candles, and so on until the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, on which all nine candles, including the shamash, are lit. It sits in the window, gets lit at sundown, and lights the way home for all who are invited.
In commemoration of that miracle (and the victory of the Maccabees, of course), Jewish communities light nine-branched menorahs (a menorah for Hanukkah is called a hanukkiah) for all eight days of the Hanukkah festival. They are traditionally placed in windows to be proudly visible to the wider world.
While there are many parts of our celebration that connect to traditions of old, frying foods in oil is especially important—it is yet another way we commemorate the miracle of the oil. The two most traditional dishes are latkes (fried potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts). There are presents and candy, games that are played, and much more that all contribute to a wonderful holiday in commemoration of a single lantern that lit the way home.
